The assessment and characterisation of the channel provided by a satellite in a highly inclined orbit to land mobile radio units in northern latitudes

Satellite mobile communications services for voice and data traffic are being planned for introduction in the mid 1990s. The authors report on preliminary results obtained in Bradford, England. They consider the nature and extent of the attenuation imposed by intervening foliage on the line of sight signal between an elevated (stationary) L-band continuous wave (CW) transmission platform and a land mobile receiving terminal. The mixture of types and extent of trees in Bradford is considered to be fairly typical of those found in most urban European cities. Elevation angles between transmit and receive antennas within the range 40 to 60 degrees were considered in compliance with envisaged satellite elevation angles over the full coverage area for a pan-European land mobile-satellite system